Written by Amelia Barnes
Men’s netball has never been more popular, and there are few people who can take more credit for the game’s progression than Craig Moore.
A Victorian Men’s & Mixed Netball Association (VMMNA) Life Member, Moore has been personally involved in netball since the late 1980s.
“I started as a basketballer and then I moved over to netball because I just preferred that game so much more,” Moore said. “I like the intricacies and the strategies that are more involved in netball … I think it's just a smarter game – no offence to basketball.”
Moore went on to have a decorated elite playing career, initially representing ADF at the Australian Men's & Mixed Netball Association (AMMNA) National Championships in 2000, before being selected in the Victoria Open Reserves team in 2001, then again in 2002 and 2004.
He made his debut in the Victorian Men’s Open team in 2003 and continued to represent the state at the top level from 2005 to 2009.
Moore also played for Australia, representing the country in 2007 at the Australia Open Men’s Tri Series in New Zealand, then 11 years later in 2018 as the captain of the Australia Masters team in the New Zealand Championships.
Moore’s coaching career with VMMNA began in 2010 and continues today.
He joined the VMMNA committee in 2018, holding various roles over the years including vice president, interim president, and the coordinator of MLeague – Victoria's premier men's and mixed netball competition established in 2006.
Moore was also heavily involved in the 2018 founding of Junior MLeague, designed for boys aged 17 and under.
Prior to Junior MLeague, boys over 13 years of age had very few avenues to play netball in Victoria beyond open age social mixed competitions, school tournaments, and state and national representative teams.
The inaugural Junior MLeague competition was held externally to VMMNA at Darebin Netball Association. Moore and his fellow organisers got the word out on social media and six boys teams competed across the one division.
The first season was a success, and more boys expressed interest in playing, so Junior MLeague was brought in-house for VMMNA to manage and promote on a wider scale.
Junior MLeague moved from Whitten Oval in Footscray to Mullum Mullum in Donvale to now be held at the redeveloped State Netball Centre in Parkville in conjunction with the senior MLeague competition.
In the current Junior MLeague 2023 spring season, there are six teams competing in the under 14s division, and another five in the under 17s, creating a total of 11 teams – up from eight in 2022.
“It's just growing every year and schools are getting involved now, so it's been great just to see that growth over the last four or five years,” Moore said.
Moore has also remained involved in netball on an international level with AMMNA, most recently as the 2018 Australian 20 & Under assistant coach for the Trans-Tasman Series in Adelaide.
All of Moore’s netball roles have been volunteer positions undertaken purely for the love of the game.
It’s been a tireless and challenging job at times, but the fruits of Moore and other passionate volunteers’ labour are beginning to pay off.
Because of the great work of bodies such as VMMNA and AMMNA, two elite netball games between the Australia and New Zealand men’s teams were broadcast for the first time as curtain raisers during the 2022 Constellation Cup series.
Moore said these televised games were “probably the biggest moment for men's netball since I've been involved.”
He added, “That was hopefully what could be seen as a big turning point to really get our name out there, as far as men's netball goes.”
The same men’s series will again be broadcast again in 2023, featuring the newly announced 2023 Australian men’s netball team now known as the Kelpies.
The team will again tour with the Diamonds, with their tests against the New Zealand Men’s team coinciding with the 2023 Constellation Cup Games on Thursday 12 October (Melbourne), Sunday 15 October (Brisbane), and Monday 23 October (Auckland). All games will be televised live on Kayo Freebies.
Victorian athletes named in the 2023 Kelpies team are shooter Brodie Roberts, midcourter Riley Richardson and defender Alastair Punshon, with versatile Victorian Men’s Open shooter/defender Josh Byron and the 2022 national captain and international player of the year, former Victorian midcourter Dylan Nexhip.
Moore expects the increased exposure of elite men’s netball to grow male participation in the sport right down to the grassroots level.
While there are far more boys playing than when he was growing up in the 1980s (when Moore was one of just two boy netballers at his local association), there remains huge potential in the sport.
Moore also hopes the broadcasting of men’s netball will make more boys aware of the elite men’s netball pathway that already exists. “I don't ever recall growing up as a teen ever seeing men play netball. I think it was happening, but I was never exposed to that,” he said.
A little-known fact about elite men’s netballers is the important role they play training against the professional women’s teams. Moore said these training sessions have been happening for decades to the benefit of both the men’s and women’s elite netballers.
“Even back when I was playing, I used to play against Melbourne Phoenix and Kestrels and the Australian team,” Moore said.
“I loved it. It was so good to get to know the women playing and you build a good relationship with them. They love playing you as well because it helps their game … It's so good to see that it's still happening.”
Moore’s current role at VMMNA is MLeague coordinator. This competition sees some of the most skilled men’s netballers in the world playing across two men’s and three mixed divisions on Wednesday nights at the State Netball Centre.
Elite men’s players competing in the current 2023 MLeague spring season include VMMNA head coach Gerard Murphy and current Victorian Men’s Open athletes including Roberts, Richardson, Byron, Punshon, Jake Noonan and Jayden Cowling among others.
Junior MLeague features a wider range of abilities, with everyone from beginners to advanced players welcome.
There’s never been a better time for boys and men to play netball. National male participation in the sport has increased significantly – up 46% from 2019 to 2022 (from 89,000 to 130,000 male players) to now make up over 15% of Australian netballers, according to the most recent AusPlay survey data.
In Victoria, in addition to the growth of MLeague and Junior MLeague, there are numerous mixed social competitions held year-round across Melbourne, and regular boys-only clinics hosted by Netball Victoria and private providers.
To any boys or men who might be hesitant to watch or play netball, Moore simply encourages them to “get in and have a go.”
All MLeague and Junior MLeague matches are open and free for spectators to attend each Wednesday night across the 13-round regular season at the State Netball Centre. See the full fixture for game times and court numbers.
Visit the VMMNA website and Instagram to learn more about opportunities for male netballers
Learn more about the history of men’s netball in Australia from the AMMNA website
